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Garrido-Gala J, Higuera JJ, Rodríguez-Franco A, Muñoz-Blanco J, Amil-Ruiz F, Caballero JL. A Comprehensive Study of the WRKY Transcription Factor Family in Strawberry. Plants 2022; 11:plants11121585. [PMID: 35736736 PMCID: PMC9229891 DOI: 10.3390/plants11121585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
WRKY transcription factors play critical roles in plant growth and development or stress responses. Using up-to-date genomic data, a total of 64 and 257 WRKY genes have been identified in the diploid woodland strawberry, Fragaria vesca, and the more complex allo-octoploid commercial strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa cv. Camarosa, respectively. The completeness of the new genomes and annotations has enabled us to perform a more detailed evolutionary and functional study of the strawberry WRKY family members, particularly in the case of the cultivated hybrid, in which homoeologous and paralogous FaWRKY genes have been characterized. Analysis of the available expression profiles has revealed that many strawberry WRKY genes show preferential or tissue-specific expression. Furthermore, significant differential expression of several FaWRKY genes has been clearly detected in fruit receptacles and achenes during the ripening process and pathogen challenged, supporting a precise functional role of these strawberry genes in such processes. Further, an extensive analysis of predicted development, stress and hormone-responsive cis-acting elements in the strawberry WRKY family is shown. Our results provide a deeper and more comprehensive knowledge of the WRKY gene family in strawberry.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José-Javier Higuera
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Edificio Severo Ochoa-C6, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (J.-J.H.); (A.R.-F.); (J.M.-B.)
| | - Antonio Rodríguez-Franco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Edificio Severo Ochoa-C6, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (J.-J.H.); (A.R.-F.); (J.M.-B.)
| | - Juan Muñoz-Blanco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Edificio Severo Ochoa-C6, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (J.-J.H.); (A.R.-F.); (J.M.-B.)
| | - Francisco Amil-Ruiz
- Unidad de Bioinformática, Servicio Central de Apoyo a la Investigación (SCAI), Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain;
| | - José L. Caballero
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Edificio Severo Ochoa-C6, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (J.-J.H.); (A.R.-F.); (J.M.-B.)
- Correspondence:
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Higuera JJ, Garrido-Gala J, Lekhbou A, Arjona-Girona I, Amil-Ruiz F, Mercado JA, Pliego-Alfaro F, Muñoz-Blanco J, López-Herrera CJ, Caballero JL. The Strawberry FaWRKY1 Transcription Factor Negatively Regulates Resistance to Colletotrichum acutatum in Fruit Upon Infection. Front Plant Sci 2019; 10:480. [PMID: 31057583 PMCID: PMC6482226 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) is a major food crop worldwide, due to the flavor, aroma and health benefits of the fruit, but its productivity and quality are seriously limited by a large variety of phytopathogens, including Colletotrichum spp. So far, key factors regulating strawberry immune response remain unknown. The FaWRKY1 gene has been previously proposed as an important element mediating defense responses in strawberry to Colletotrichum acutatum. To get further insight into the functional role that FaWRKY1 plays in the defense mechanism, Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation was used both to silence and overexpress the FaWRKY1 gene in strawberry fruits (Fragaria ×ananassa cv. Primoris), which were later analyzed upon C. acutatum inoculation. Susceptibility tests were performed after pathogen infection comparing the severity of disease between the two agroinfiltrated opposite halves of the same fruit, one half bearing a construct either for FaWRKY1 overexpression or RNAi-mediated silencing and the other half bearing the empty vector, as control. The severity of tissue damage was monitored and found to be visibly reduced at five days after pathogen inoculation in the fruit half where FaWRKY1 was transiently silenced compared to that of the opposite control half and statistical analysis corroborated a significant reduction in disease susceptibility. Contrarily, a similar level of susceptibility was found when FaWRKY1 overexpression and control fruit samples, was compared. These results unravel a negative regulatory role of FaWRKY1 in resistance to the phytopathogenic fungus C. acutatum in strawberry fruit and contrast with the previous role described for this gene in Arabidopsis as positive regulator of resistance against the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae. Based on previous results, a tentative working model for WRKY75 like genes after pathogen infection is proposed and the expression pattern of potential downstream FaWRKY1 target genes was also analyzed in strawberry fruit upon C. acutatum infection. Our results highlight that FaWRKY1 might display different function according to species, plant tissue and/or type of pathogen and underline the intricate FaWRKY1 responsive defense regulatory mechanism taking place in strawberry against this important crop pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Javier Higuera
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - José Garrido-Gala
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Ayman Lekhbou
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Isabel Arjona-Girona
- Departamento de Protección de Cultivos, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (CSIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | - Francisco Amil-Ruiz
- Unidad de Bioinformática, Servicio Central de Apoyo a la Investigación (SCAI), Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - José A. Mercado
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Juan Muñoz-Blanco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Carlos J. López-Herrera
- Departamento de Protección de Cultivos, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (CSIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | - José L. Caballero
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- *Correspondence: José L. Caballero,
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Amil-Ruiz F, Garrido-Gala J, Gadea J, Blanco-Portales R, Muñoz-Mérida A, Trelles O, de los Santos B, Arroyo FT, Aguado-Puig A, Romero F, Mercado JÁ, Pliego-Alfaro F, Muñoz-Blanco J, Caballero JL. Partial Activation of SA- and JA-Defensive Pathways in Strawberry upon Colletotrichum acutatum Interaction. Front Plant Sci 2016; 7:1036. [PMID: 27471515 PMCID: PMC4945649 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the nature of pathogen host interaction may help improve strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) cultivars. Plant resistance to pathogenic agents usually operates through a complex network of defense mechanisms mediated by a diverse array of signaling molecules. In strawberry, resistance to a variety of pathogens has been reported to be mostly polygenic and quantitatively inherited, making it difficult to associate molecular markers with disease resistance genes. Colletotrichum acutatum spp. is a major strawberry pathogen, and completely resistant cultivars have not been reported. Moreover, strawberry defense network components and mechanisms remain largely unknown and poorly understood. Assessment of the strawberry response to C. acutatum included a global transcript analysis, and acidic hormones SA and JA measurements were analyzed after challenge with the pathogen. Induction of transcripts corresponding to the SA and JA signaling pathways and key genes controlling major steps within these defense pathways was detected. Accordingly, SA and JA accumulated in strawberry after infection. Contrastingly, induction of several important SA, JA, and oxidative stress-responsive defense genes, including FaPR1-1, FaLOX2, FaJAR1, FaPDF1, and FaGST1, was not detected, which suggests that specific branches in these defense pathways (those leading to FaPR1-2, FaPR2-1, FaPR2-2, FaAOS, FaPR5, and FaPR10) were activated. Our results reveal that specific aspects in SA and JA dependent signaling pathways are activated in strawberry upon interaction with C. acutatum. Certain described defense-associated transcripts related to these two known signaling pathways do not increase in abundance following infection. This finding suggests new insight into a specific putative molecular strategy for defense against this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Amil-Ruiz
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Edificio Severo Ochoa (C6), Universidad de CórdobaCórdoba, Spain
| | - José Garrido-Gala
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Edificio Severo Ochoa (C6), Universidad de CórdobaCórdoba, Spain
| | - José Gadea
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasValencia, Spain
| | - Rosario Blanco-Portales
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Edificio Severo Ochoa (C6), Universidad de CórdobaCórdoba, Spain
| | - Antonio Muñoz-Mérida
- Departamento de Arquitectura de Computación, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de TeatinosMálaga, Spain
| | - Oswaldo Trelles
- Departamento de Arquitectura de Computación, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de TeatinosMálaga, Spain
| | - Berta de los Santos
- Centro Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fishering Research and Training (IFAPA) Las Torres-Tomejil, CAPMA–Junta de AndalucíaSevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco T. Arroyo
- Centro Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fishering Research and Training (IFAPA) Las Torres-Tomejil, CAPMA–Junta de AndalucíaSevilla, Spain
| | - Ana Aguado-Puig
- Centro Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fishering Research and Training (IFAPA) Las Torres-Tomejil, CAPMA–Junta de AndalucíaSevilla, Spain
| | - Fernando Romero
- Centro Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fishering Research and Training (IFAPA) Las Torres-Tomejil, CAPMA–Junta de AndalucíaSevilla, Spain
| | - José-Ángel Mercado
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de TeatinosMálaga, Spain
| | - Fernando Pliego-Alfaro
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de TeatinosMálaga, Spain
| | - Juan Muñoz-Blanco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Edificio Severo Ochoa (C6), Universidad de CórdobaCórdoba, Spain
| | - José L. Caballero
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Edificio Severo Ochoa (C6), Universidad de CórdobaCórdoba, Spain
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Amil-Ruiz F, Garrido-Gala J, Blanco-Portales R, Folta KM, Muñoz-Blanco J, Caballero JL. Identification and validation of reference genes for transcript normalization in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) defense responses. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70603. [PMID: 23940602 PMCID: PMC3734262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Strawberry (Fragaria spp) is an emerging model for the development of basic genomics and recombinant DNA studies among rosaceous crops. Functional genomic and molecular studies involve relative quantification of gene expression under experimental conditions of interest. Accuracy and reliability are dependent upon the choice of an optimal reference control transcript. There is no information available on validated endogenous reference genes for use in studies testing strawberry-pathogen interactions. Thirteen potential pre-selected strawberry reference genes were tested against different tissues, strawberry cultivars, biotic stresses, ripening and senescent conditions, and SA/JA treatments. Evaluation of reference candidate's suitability was analyzed by five different methodologies, and information was merged to identify best reference transcripts. A combination of all five methods was used for selective classification of reference genes. The resulting superior reference genes, FaRIB413, FaACTIN, FaEF1α and FaGAPDH2 are strongly recommended as control genes for relative quantification of gene expression in strawberry. This report constitutes the first systematic study to identify and validate optimal reference genes for accurate normalization of gene expression in strawberry plant defense response studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Amil-Ruiz
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario-CEIA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
| | - José Garrido-Gala
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario-CEIA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
| | - Rosario Blanco-Portales
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario-CEIA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
| | - Kevin M. Folta
- Horticultural Sciences Department and The Graduate Program for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Juan Muñoz-Blanco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario-CEIA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
| | - José L. Caballero
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Campus Universitario de Rabanales y Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario-CEIA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
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Martín-Urdíroz N, Garrido-Gala J, Martín J, Barandiaran X. Effect of light on the organogenic ability of garlic roots using a one-step in vitro system. Plant Cell Rep 2004; 22:721-724. [PMID: 14735312 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-003-0744-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2003] [Revised: 11/13/2003] [Accepted: 11/17/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A simple and efficient garlic in vitro shoot regeneration protocol has been developed. This system uses axenic root tips cultivated from the beginning in the presence of light and does not require any change or refreshing of the original medium during the entire process. The application of light from the beginning of the culture process did not affect the callus formation rate but did significantly improve the explant regeneration ability. In a 2-month period it was possible to obtain up to 250 shoots per gram of callus.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Martín-Urdíroz
- Allium Laboratorios S.L., c/o Gabriel Ramos Bejarano, puerta I, parc. 110D, Polígono Industrial "Las Quemadas", 14014, Cordoba, Spain,
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